


Salmagundi - The Retreat

by cutsycat



Series: Dictionary.Com Word of the Day Drabbles [1423]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 16:49:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21377362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutsycat/pseuds/cutsycat
Summary: Tony has a bad feeling as he watches the waves. Next thing he know he has a daughter and the entire team is hiding out at his and Gibbs' beach house.
Relationships: Anthony DiNozzo/Jethro Gibbs
Series: Dictionary.Com Word of the Day Drabbles [1423]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/444514
Comments: 13
Kudos: 51
Collections: Cutsycat's Five Prompts Challenge





	Salmagundi - The Retreat

**Author's Note:**

> Another dictionary.com word of the day drabble. This time from 03/24/2003 for the word [salmagundi](http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/2003/03/24/salmagundi).
> 
> salmagundi[ sal-muh-guhn-dee ]  
noun  
a mixed dish consisting usually of cubed poultry or fish, chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, onions, oil, etc., often served as a salad.  
any mixture or miscellany.
> 
> This is for Prompt #2 of the October 2019 Five Prompts Challenge located [here](https://ncis-discuss.livejournal.com/212133.html).

Tony stared out at the Atlantic ocean, for once wishing he were somewhere else. Usually he loved the beach, but something about the choppy waves and angry blue riling of the ocean today filled him with a sinking feeling. He didn’t know why, but he was certain that something was about to go terribly wrong.

Tony grabbed his phone as it started ringing, “DiNozzo.”

“Get your ass back here, DiNozzo.”

“What’s the matter, boss?”

“Meet me at the lake. We have a problem.”

Tony frowned. That was obscure even for Gibbs. The only lake that he knew of was the one that they sometimes went to when they wanted to get away from it all and just be with each other. 

He had fond memories of sex on the beach of that lake. Well as fond as one can have of sex on the beach. He’d thought the sand everywhere was a small price to pay, but Gibbs hadn’t agreed.

He’d made a rule that there would be no sex on the beach. Tony pouted, but didn’t fight it too hard, especially since it just meant that they had sex in the lake instead. Sometimes they actually used a bed, but generally they were too impatient for that, or at least Tony was.

The fact that Gibbs was telling him to meet at the lake, coupled with the words we have a problem, filled Tony with fear. What could be going on that would make the lake the best meeting place? He knew Gibbs had had a meeting with SecNav today, but he hadn’t thought it had been anything monumental. 

With a frown, Tony quickly packed up his stuff and headed for the lake. It was a good three hour drive from the beach, though only two hours from NCIS headquarters, so Tony was sure that Gibbs would beat him there. He was very surprised to find that he was the first one to arrive at the lake. It all became clear when Gibbs pulled up a couple of minutes later with Abby and a little girl. Well not really.

“What’s going on, Gibbs?”

“Inside.”

Tony nodded and opened the door to their little lake house. It was actually Tony’s mother’s house and it had passed on to Tony via her will. Even his father didn’t know of its existence.

“Wow. If this were mine, I’d never want to leave,” Abby murmured as she looked around the small bungalow. 

“It’s even better when it’s fully stocked. There’s this amazing salmagundi that one of the local restaurants make that I have brought in. It looks like a salad, but the flavors. I’ve never been able to reproduce it at home. It’s beyond delicious.”

Gibbs stalked through the house, examining everything to make sure nothing had been added while they were gone. When he was satisfied that they were as secure as they could be, Gibbs returned to the rest of them.

“Tony, this is Tali, your daughter.”

“What?” Tony blinked in shock.

“Apparently, Ziva listed you on her birth certificate as the father.”

“But Ziva and I have never even had sex.”

“I know, but that’s still the facts of the matter at hand.”

Tony frowned. He had a feeling that more bad news was coming.

“Ziva’s dead, Tony. Her will specified that if she died Tali was to be sent to you to take care of.”

“Ok…” Tony drawled out, not quite sure where this was going.

”Tali is in danger. Regardless of parentage, we need to go into hiding to keep her safe.”

“What? Shouldn’t we be trying to solve the case?”

“We can’t. Fornell is already on it and he’s having to call in favors left and right to even get as far as he is. Something big is going down in Israel and NCIS doesn’t have the contacts to figure out what.”

“Wait… Doesn’t the director have the head of Mossad as a contact?”

“Yeah. We’re not sure what happened, but he’s not the head of Mossad anymore. The director invoked rule 43, Tony.”

“Damn.”

“I’m not even sure this place is secure, but it was the only place I could think of to meet up. We can stay here for a bit, but don’t be surprised if we have to move.”

Tony nodded. He hated being on the run. At the same time, if the danger was big enough that the director was invoking rule 43; there was no other option.

“Where’s the rest of our family?”

“McGee went to pick up Jackson. I told Jackson where this place was and he’ll give McGee directions once McGee picks him up. Ducky and Jimmy will be joining us soon as well.”

“Good.” Tony stared at Abby and his new daughter, quite at a loss for words beyond that. 

Abby took that opportunity to rush Tony and hug him. “Oh, Tony. It was so scary. Like a literal army of men in black suits descended on headquarters. I think the entire building has been emptied out.”

Tony blinked. “Gibbs?”

Gibbs shrugged. He didn’t know what was going on either. “The director promised to update me later. Hopefully he can tell us more then.”

Tony nodded. “In that case, first priority should be settling everyone in and finding places for everyone to sleep.” 

The small bungalow was not built to house 8 sleeping people by any stretch of the imagination. From the information Tony had originally received it had been a vacation home for his mother and a few of her friends. Tony had turned it into a private place for just Gibbs and him. 

There was one King Bed in the master bedroom and that was it. There were a few other rooms that beds could be added to, but none of them currently had any. They didn’t even have any pullout sofa beds. 

Tony had a guy who helped him stock the place when Gibbs and him planned to come visit, so he called him up to see how he could help. “Hey, sorry for the late notice, but we’re at the vacation house and are expecting a total of eight people. We need beds and food. Anyway, you can help out?”

“Si signore.”

“Great. Thanks. You take care of the food and I’ll handle the beds.”

“Signore.”

Tony hung up the phone with a click. Mario may not speak much, but he’d always come through for Tony before. Tony gave him a nice paycheck year round to help keep the house looking good even though Gibbs and Tony could usually only make it out once or twice a year at most.

Tony turned to Tali. “Would you like to go with me to pick out your bed, Tali?”

Tali nodded shyly. 

“Are you coming too, Abbs?”

“Of course. I can’t trust you to pick out a coffin for me.”

“No coffins, Abbs,” Gibbs commanded.

“But Gibbs.”

“No.”

Abby pouted at Gibbs. Tony just patted her arm. “Come on, I’m sure we can find something you’ll like that Gibbs won’t mind.”

“You’re the best, Tony.” Abby wrapped her arms around Tony again.

Everyone except Gibbs piled into Tony’s car and headed for the nearest mattress/furniture store. Tony would have preferred to shop at his favorite store online and have the beds delivered, but he knew they didn’t have the time. They would need places for people to sleep tonight. 

He might have to have Mario get a crew together to come help pickup the beds and mattresses once they figured out what they wanted, though, he really hoped he could sweet talk the store into delivering today. He knew the online one he wanted to order from custom made everything, so you couldn’t get same day delivery like you could at the local shop.

It wasn’t a large store, but it was packed floor to ceiling with mattresses and bed frames. Tony knew they’d be able to find something here to suit everyone. They had 4 bedrooms, so people were going to have to share. 

Tony and Gibbs would keep the master, but that left Ducky, Jimmy, Abby, Tali, McGee, and Jackson. Tony knew Ducky and Jimmy would be fine sharing. He’d get a couple of twin beds for their room, so that they weren’t actually sharing a bed and it would be fine.

Turning to Abby, Tony asked, “Do you want to share a room with McGee or with Tali?”

“Tali, please.”

Tony nodded. In that case, he’d get four twin beds and McGee and Jackson would have to share. This situation meant that McGee was going to find out about his and Gibbs’ relationship, but Tony wasn’t worried. Everyone else already knew more or less.

Actually, they would probably end up getting twin beds for everyone, but he’d let Abby and Tali choose theirs before ordering generic ones for the rest. Or maybe not. There appeared to be exactly six twin beds. 

Getting the attention of a store employee, Tony asked, “Are these the only twin beds you have?”

“In stock, yes.”

“Fine. I’ll take them all.”

“But,” Abby pouted. “I thought you were going to let me pick my bed."

"You can pick from these when we get home unless you and Tali want to share a bed.”

Abby and Tali exchanged glances before simultaneously shaking their heads. 

“Then you’ll have to make do with what we have. Once we get it home, you two can choose your beds first.”

Abby and Tali nodded in agreement. The store employee had scurried off to get someone to help them arrange delivery for the beds. A sales person stepped up to them. “I hear you’re looking to buy these six twin beds. Are you sure I can’t interest you in bunk beds or fulls?”

“Quite sure.” While bunk beds were cool in concept, Tony didn’t want to deal with that right now.

“Alright. If you’ll follow me, I’ll just get you all rung up.”

“I’ll need same day delivery. We need them delivered before tonight. I trust that won’t be a problem.”

“Nah. It will cost you,though.”

Tony waved it off. He wasn’t worried about the price. He hadn’t really shared the information with anyone except Gibbs and the person who put it in the confidential section of his NCIS profile, but he had a really hefty trust fund that would more than cover what he was spending today.

Abby watched the numbers as things were rung up and her eyes got as big as saucers. “That’s insane.”

”Don’t worry, Abbs. I got it.”

“What? How can you afford this?”

“I’m secretly rich.” Tony’s eyes twinkled in amusement as Abby boggled at him.

He handed over his credit card and signed all the paperwork required to get them delivered by 8pm tonight. With a smile, he wrapped his arms around Abby and Tali and ushered them out of the store. “Where to next, girls?”

“Maybe some toys?” Abby suggested with a glance at Tali.

Tony nodded and they piled into the car again. The toy store was nowhere near as crowded as the mattress store that had somehow only had 6 twin beds in stock. Apparently Queen and King were more popular than twin in this town. 

Abby and Tony let Tali browse the toy store for a couple of toys or games she’d like. Tali had been relatively quiet so far and Tony hoped that wasn’t something they should be concerned about. She had just lost her mother, so hopefully it was natural for her to be so quiet.

She finally returned with a My Little Pony toy that had a little hair comb to comb the tail hair and a stuffed monkey. Tony nodded and took them to the register and bought those as well. Turning back to the two ladies, he asked, “Anywhere else?”

They shook their heads and Tony nodded. “Let’s go home, then. Maybe some of the others have shown up by now.” He’d be surprised if McGee and Jackson were there, but Ducky and Jimmy might have arrived.

Sure enough, Ducky and Jimmy were there when they arrived. “Did Mario come, Gibbs?”

“Not yet.”

Tony nodded and gestured for everyone to sit on the couches while they waited. “He should be here soon. I’ve already taken care of twin beds for everyone. Except I forgot sheets and pillows and blankets. Crap.”

“Don’t worry, Tone. I got it.” Gibbs nodded to everyone as he turned and left. 

Tony collapsed on one of the couches in exhaustion. He couldn’t believe that only a couple of hours before he’d been relatively at peace except for a sinking feeling as he watched the ocean waves. Still he needed to be a good host and try and keep everyone calm during this difficult time. “How is everyone doing? If you need something, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you for giving up your home to ensure our safety, Anthony,” Ducky murmured.

Tony waved off his appreciation. “Don’t worry about it, Duck. You’re all family. Do you know anything more about what’s going on?”

“I’m afraid I do not, my dear boy, but the signs all point to something very worrying. We may be here for a very long time.”

Tony frowned. That wasn’t the news he wanted. He hoped that when Gibbs returned he would have word from the director. 

With a sigh, Tony tried to relax and get the conversation started on something innocuous that would keep everyone occupied for a while. “How are your studies going, Jimmy?”

Jimmy blinked in surprise at the question. “Oh, ah. They’re fine, Tony. Though they may be delayed while I’m here.”

Tony nodded. “We’ll have to figure out some way you can keep them up while you’re here.”

“That would be great, though, I hope you don’t mean to find dead bodies for me to practice on.”

“No. I really hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“I’m particularly looking forward to the study of Lepidoptera.”

“Ooh. A lot of those are pretty.”

“Yeah and there’s a lot of interesting things about them that can help determine time of death and such. It’s really cool.”

Tony grinned and let the conversation go on around him until a tiny hand tugged on his pants leg. Tali had been playing quietly in a corner, but now she was trying to get his attention. Tony looked down at her, “Yes?”

“Potty?”

“Right this way.” Tony stood up and led the way to the bathroom for her. She nodded her thanks and went in and closed the door. Tony waited by the door in case she needed anything, but she finished up and washed her hands with no trouble. 

In the few minutes that they were gone, the living room had gotten crowded. McGee and Jackson had arrived and Gibbs had also returned. Gibbs vanished to put the bedding and such away for later when they had the actual beds.

Tony took Jackson and McGee’s jackets to the coat closet before gesturing to the couch. He grabbed a couple of chairs from the dining room. There were too many people now to all fit comfortably on the sectional. 

When Gibbs returned, Tony asked, “Did you hear from the director?”

Gibbs shook his head and Tony frowned. He really wanted to know what was going on.

“I heard from Fornell, though. He thinks we’re going to be here a while. Possibly years.”

“Years?” Tony grimaced. 

“Yeah. Apparently, Eli has made a huge mess of things and its blown up in his face. They’re trying to unravel it, but you know how Mossad is.”

Tony rolled his eyes. Yeah. He remembered what it had been like trying to teach Ziva how to do paperwork properly. 

“On top of that, it sounded like there might be a threat to all of NCIS. Fornell said something about headquarters being shut down entirely. He didn’t know what was happening exactly, though.”

“Sounds like the director has his hands full.” Tony looked around and was glad to see Mario sneaking into the kitchen to fill the pantry and fridge. “Well guys, it looks like we’ll be here for a while. We better settle in. What do you want for dinner?”

“Pizza, pasta, steak,” were shouted from many directions at Tony. 

“Whoa! One at a time, but how about I make pasta and steak for now and we’ll see about pizza another time.”

McGee made a sad face, but nodded agreeably enough. 

“You need any help?” Jackson offered.

“Nah. I got it. Thanks, though.”

Jackson nodded. Tony left everyone to talk amongst themselves as he made dinner. He would love to know what was really going on, but he had a bad feeling that a cover up was happening and they may never know the truth. 

He wasn’t going to worry about it for now, however. That would be a problem for later. Right now, he just needed to feed the hungry crowd before they tried to decide what their new normal was going to look like while they waited for whatever this was to resolve itself.

**Author's Note:**

> The dictionary.com series has 1 story already written for it after this one, so I will be posting at least 1 more story before I stop posting again. I'm hoping to get more stories written before then, so that I don't stop posting for a while. Wish me luck! 
> 
> It's 2019 now and I have closed my 2018 Prompt collection, but fear not my 2019 Prompt Collection is now open [here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/cutsycat_NCIS_Prompts_2019/profile). Just click the sign up link. ;) It will remain open until the beginning of 2020. I'm hoping to complete all the 2019 prompts by the end of 2020. Do not fear I have not forgotten about the 2018 prompts and will continue working through them. It's just easier for me to not get overwhelmed if I keep the prompts separated by the year they were given to me.
> 
> If you are not an ao3 member, you can prompt me [here](http://cutsycat.livejournal.com/50701.html). Please follow the same rules as are listed in the above link. However, because this is a handmade prompt form(that thinks it's a poll), it is considerably more limited than what ao3 provides, so please use the ao3 form if you're an ao3 member. Please note the name option is for a name that I can say this is for so that you know it's for you. Since this is for non ao3 members it won't be true gifts, but you will be mentioned in the notes. Please note if you have already voted in the poll and would like to request more stories you can just add a comment to the poll. Please include the name along with the prompt, so that I can appropriately gift the prompt to you.
> 
> For any authors that want to chat and/or are looking for a place where they can toss plot ideas around and get input from people, you can come join my discord server that is specifically geared towards writing/encouraging people to write and authors. The invite link is [here](https://discord.gg/HFvwpCq). If you're not an author, but want to chat with me about writing/stories or anything else you are welcome to join. I reserve the right to boot you from my server if all you do is pester me about updates, however. *grin* Really anyone who wants to talk about writing and/or plot ideas for various stories is welcome to join. 
> 
> Also, Drakonyashka has translated a couple of my works into Russian. [Tutelage](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12378780) and [Imbue](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12378840). Go support them. 


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